10 of the Best Loos with a View

Guest post by Ben Wosskow

In March 2013, the U.N. announced that an estimated 2.5 billion people don’t have access to working toilets, and pledged to halve this number by 2015.

However, for the 4.5 billion people who do have access, it’s a very different story. It’s been estimated that we spend over a year of our lives on the loo. With this in mind, we’ve investigated ten of the best loos with a view.

The view from toilet on the 68th floor of The Shard
The view from toilet on the 68th floor of The Shard in London

The London skyline, with its landmark structures and skyscrapers, is one of the most famous in the world. Iconic buildings like the Gherkin and Big Ben rise from the bustling streets, attracting tourists from around the globe. At 306 metres, architect Renzo Piano’s Shard is the tallest building of them all. The 68th floor of this incredible structure boasts the most exhilarating toilet view in London. Visitors are treated to a breath-taking view of the sprawling metropolis, from a ceiling-to-floor window.

The view from toilet at Germany's Commerzbank
The view from toilet at Germany’s Commerzbank in downtown Frankfurt

Here’s another loo with an impressive city view. Workers at the Commerzbank tower – the tallest building in Germany – can look out over the rooftops of Frankfurt in this lofty bathroom. The architect of the building clearly had a sense of humour, as the location of the toilet makes it look like users are urinating on the building of Dresdner bank, who were direct competitors when the Commerzbank tower was built. (Commerzbank has since acquired Dresdner, completing the transaction in 2009).

Public toilet in Chongqing
Public toilet in Chongqing, China

Chinese city Chongquing is home to ‘Foreigner Street’, a theme park devoted to international culture. The park features replica Egyptian pyramids, a smaller copy of Christ the Redeemer, and what is claimed to be the world’s largest public toilet. The sprawling bathroom contains 4 floors, and over 1000 toilets.  If they can take their eyes off the novelty-shaped urinals, the uppermost floor provides guests with a view over the park.

The view from toilet at NamibRand Nature Reserve
The view from toilet at NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia

The NamibRand nature reserve is one of the biggest privately-owned nature reserves in Southern Africa. The park is home to a plethora of wildlife, including cheetahs, vultures and jackals. It’s also home to this unusual toilet, which looks out onto a vast, sandy plain.

The bathroom at Elsa’s Kopje
The bathroom at Elsa’s Kopje in Meru National Park, Kenya

Kenya’s Meru National Park was made famous by Born Free, the 1960 book and subsequent film about a couple’s efforts to release a lioness into the wild. A luxurious safari lodge, Elsa’s Kopje can be found within the park’s boundaries. Guests are invited to enjoy the facilities, including this incredible bathroom, which comes complete with stunning views over the African plains.

The toilet at Shira Camp
The toilet at Shira Camp on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

This photo was taken from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The first thing you notice is the stunning view. Look closely, and you’ll see the best loo-with-a-view in Africa – a long-drop toilet provided for visitors to Shira Camp. Situated on Kilimanjaro’s Shira Plateau, this toilet sits at a dizzying 3,847m above sea level.

2 in 1 - guard tower with loo at Alcatraz Island
2 in 1 – guard tower with loo at Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, US

Alcatraz was notoriously difficult to escape – authorities maintain that throughout the facility’s 29-year history, no prisoner ever successfully broke out. Part of the prison’s success was down to constant surveillance – carried out in part from lofty guard towers. One of the towers was equipped with a toilet, providing a 360° view of the surrounding San Francisco bay.

Toilet at Skiwelt ski resort
Toilet at Skiwelt ski resort, Austria

Going to the toilet on the slopes can often be a chilly and unpleasant experience. However, this stunning Alpine view, found in a mountainside bathroom in the Austrian SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser, makes up for the cold. The SkiWelt is Austria’s largest interconnected skiing region, with 279km of runs, 91 cable cars, and a series of breath-taking bathroom views.

Bathroom on Emirates A380 aircraft
Bathroom on Emirates A380 aircraft

Standard aeroplane toilets rarely feature windows. However, they’re slightly more common in business and first-class cabins. This luxurious loo, complete with faux-wood panelling and a porcelain sink, features on some Emirates flights. Not only does this toilet offer far more space than the cramped cubicle most flyers are used to, it also provides flyers with a sensational view of blue skies and drifting clouds.

Loo at Boulder Pass Campsite
Loo at Boulder Pass Campsite, Glacier National Park, Montana, US

Hikers are usually reduced to doing their business in the woods. However, park authorities at Montana’s Glacier National Park have thoughtfully provided this toilet for passing ramblers. With over 1,000,000 acres to explore, this loo-with-a-view could be hard to find. Those who are lucky enough to stumble upon it can use the facilities whilst gazing at the vast Agassiz Glacier.

 This article was written  by Ben Wosskow of LoveHomeSwap.com, a leading home swapping site boasting over 48,000 properties across over 150 countries.

Comments

3 responses to “10 of the Best Loos with a View”

  1. My son and I were watching Denver lose in an irish bar in Santa Monica last year. Bartender said the best view of the sunset over the ocean was at the Playboy but we discovered it was the penthouse bar on the top floor of the hawthorn hotel. There we discover a huge window in the restroom.

    1. thanks B for sharing it. I think there are a lot of places like this and probably it would be easy to make “50 of the Best Loos with a View” list 🙂

  2. We had a loo with a view at our over water villa in the Maldives. There was a glass floor to watch the fish as you did your business!

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